Vishnu Deo Sai has been picked by the BJP central leadership on Sunday as the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. This brought an end to the suspense of who would become the chief minister of the state.
The announcement of Vishnu Deo Sai as Chhattisgarh Chief Minister came after a key meeting of the BJP’s newly-elected 54 MLAs in the state was held in Raipur.
Sources told India Today that there would be two Deputy Chief Ministers appointed in Chhattisgarh. Before the meeting, senior BJP leader Raman Singh had said that the Deputy CM will also be appointed "along with others".
The BJP contested the recently concluded Chhattisgarh Assembly polls without declaring any CM face. The saffron party won a landslide victory, securing 54 out of the total 90 seats.
After the BJP wrested power from the Congress, Bhupesh Baghel on December 3 resigned as the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister.
On Sunday, Baghel congratulated Vishnu Seo Dai on being chosen for the CM post.
"I wish that you take forward the journey of justice and progress of Chhattisgarh as the Chief Minister," Bhupesh Baghel wrote on X.
Vishnu Deo Sai won the Kunkuri Assembly seat with a total of 87,604 votes. A former BJP state chief, Deo Sai was also projected to be the party's first choice for the CM post if it were to choose a tribal face.
He has held various offices, including Union Minister of State for Steel in the First Modi ministry and Member of Parliament for the Raigarh constituency of Chhattisgarh in the 16th Lok Sabha.
He was the BJP Chhattisgarh chief from 2020 to 2022.